The UK's leading hydroponics online shop

Established in 1991, 3CH Hydroponics has built a reputation envied by hydroponics retailers throughout Britain and Europe by methodically selecting the very best indoor gardening products on the market and offering them to our customers with unbeatable prices and peerless standards of service. When we have been unable to source a product of sufficient quality and value to match our customers’ expectations, we have designed and commissioned products ourselves to meet the need, in conjunction with our partners in the manufacturing and engineering sectors. Over the last two decades and more, 3CH Hydroponics has sold hydroponics equipment to a wide range of commercial and educational organisations including universities, schools, hospitals, airports, nurseries and even oil refineries. Perhaps the most celebrated sale to date was to the BBC’s Gardener's World weekly gardening advice programme, on the 10th June 2005 edition, when 3CH supplied both the expert advice and the hydroponics equipment featured on the show.

3CH Hydroponics has built its business by appreciating the needs of hydroponics customers and giving them the best possible service. That is why customers return to 3CH Hydroponics shops time after time. 3CH caters for all aspects of indoor gardening from grow lights to plant nutrients, from environment control to specialised propagation equipment. We realise that the needs of the indoor gardener are not met by traditional horticultural retail outlets such as garden centres and DIY shops, so we endeavour to provide for all those needs in our shops, meaning indoor gardeners do not have to trek from shop to shop in order to put together their preferred choice of hydroponics set-up. This means 3CH Hydroponics shops stock a huge variety of indoor gardening equipment and tools. If you are looking for grow tents we have a massive range from germination tents to cuttings/clone tents to larger tents suitable for areas of 60cm x 60cm up to 3m x 3m. So whatever the space available to the indoor gardener, 3Ch Hydroponics can provide a suitable growing enclosure. If you choose to create your own enclosed growing space, we provide reflective sheeting with which you can line the walls of your grow room to keep the all-important light directed towards your precious plants. Once the indoor gardener has an enclosed space in which to grow, the next choice is what grow lights to choose. Again, 3CH Hydroponics provides a huge range. We supply fluorescent strip lighting units for propagation as well as Compact Fluorescent Lamps (CFLs) for indoor gardeners who prefer energy-saving lighting. For growers who require more spectacular results from the indoor gardening projects, we have a range of High Intensity Discharge lighting equipment ranging from 150w mini systems for small spaces to powerful 1000w set-ups for large grow rooms. The range of HID lighting available to indoor gardeners at 3CH Hydroponics includes both budget systems for hobby growers and more expensive equipment for professionals. If you are unsure of the system best suited to your space and budget constraints, give our Sales Helpline a ring – or call any of our shops – and we will endeavour to make suggestions for a lighting systems that best meets your needs.

Indoor gardening isn’t just about enclosed growing spaces and lighting, though. The environment inside the growing area must be controlled if your plants are going to thrive indoors. Plants use carbon dioxide in the photosynthesis process, meaning the air inside the growing area must be replenished regularly. For environment control, 3CH Hydroponics supplies indoor gardeners with a selection of air intake and outtake fans to ensure adequate air exchange in the grow room. Hydroponics extraction fans also remove hot air in the grow room before it had a chance to adversely affect your plants. Extraction fans can be combined with carbon air filters, which scrub odours from the air, in order to keep the area outside the grow room or tent free of the often unpleasant smells associated with vegetation. If you are unsure of the best intake and outtake fans for your space, give one of our shops a ring and we will make suggestions for a suitable set-up. Fans and carbon filters are available at 3CH Hydroponics at a discounted rate when purchased as a complete kit with fan ducting and connecting clips, so be sure to enquire about our best value kits when calling. You will find many here on this web site in the Environment section. Other products to consider are odour neutralising gels and sprays, as well as clip-on fans inside the grow room to keep the air circulating.

Now the budding indoor gardener has an enclosed growing area with grow lights and with the environment controlled via air exchange and filtration, it is time to decide what medium your plants will grow in and what nutrients to feed them as well as what method will be used to feed the nutrient solution to your plants. As with grow tents, grow lights and environment control, 3CH Hydroponics provides the indoor gardener with a large range of options. Perhaps the simplest choice is to go the ‘traditional’ route and grow your plants in pots filled with soil mixes; indeed, this is probably the most popular option for indoor gardeners. Nutrients solution can then be fed to the plants via hand-watering, or you may decide to invest in a timed dripper system which will keep your plants fed even when you are not available to feed them yourself. Other options include growing your plants in coco coir – a very useful by-product of the coconut – or an artificial growing medium such as rockwool, which has excellent aeration and water-retention properties.

Depending upon your choice of growing medium and watering method, 3CH Hydroponics provides the indoor gardener with a range of plant nutrients and nutrient additives suitable for that medium and your chosen watering option. Among the most popular are the 100% organic range from BioBizz that is suitable for hand-watering using soil mixes; the Hesi range that caters for soil mixes, coco coir and hydroponics systems; and the famous Canna range that has been tried and trusted by indoor gardeners for decades. 3CH Hydroponics has also cherry-picked the best products for the ranges of other manufacturers, so indoor gardeners will not miss out on any of the most effective plant nutrients or additives on the market. If you are not sure what range of nutrients suits your set-up best, get in contact with us via our Sales Helpline or our shops and we will attempt to explain all the options to you.

The list of hydroponics products required by indoor gardeners is almost endless, but you can be sure 3CH Hydroponics has what you need. We stock tools for measuring temperature and humidity, meters for measuring nutrient strength and acidity, nutrient heaters, air pumps and aeration systems, pesticides and plant health products, water pumps and flexible piping, sulphur burners, fan speed controllers: the list really does go on and on, but we recognise the needs of the indoor gardener and ensure our shops have all these hydroponics products in one place so our customers know where they can go for a one-stop shop for hydroponics essentials.

Another aspect of 3CH Hydroponics is our online shop, where indoor gardeners can choose from the huge range of products described above and have them conveniently delivered to the address of their choice. Simply fill your shopping cart with the products you desire – give us a ring or drop us an email if you are not sure what is the best choice for your set-up – and for a small delivery charge we will arrange for our couriers to get your hydroponics essentials to you. What could be simpler?

Whether you choose to visit one of our shops or purchase your hydroponics equipment online, 3CH Hydroponics looks forward to the pleasure of serving you. After all, Hydroponics is our business!

What is Hydroponics?

Strictly speaking, ‘Hydroponics’ is the science of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions where the plants are grown either directly in the solution or in an inert growing medium without using soil. But for our purposes, ‘Hydroponics’ refers to the whole world of indoor growing using grow lights, and in fact many growers use traditional soil mixes when growing indoors. Hydroponics isn’t just about grow lights though: it’s about the complete life cycle of plants from germination to harvest, and how to ensure plants reach their maximum potential. Hydroponics means providing plants with optimum conditions to thrive, taking into account light, environment, nutrients, irrigation techniques, pest control and every aspect of plant growth. It is an endlessly fascinating subject that involves both science and skill and a subject that isn’t just a hobby for many, but a way of life

How Do I Get Started with Hydroponics?

Getting started with hydroponics can be as straightforward or as involved as you choose. Considerations of space and budget will probably be the determining factors when you make your first steps into the world of hydroponics. But even if you have a large area to devote to your new hydroponics project and unlimited funds, the best introduction is probably to stick to soil mixes until you get the hang of dealing with grow lights and environmental control. The key with indoor growing is to replicate nature artificially, so the key areas to concentrate on as a novice are grow lights and air exchange. Grow lights replicate the natural light of the sun and ventilation set-ups remove stale air and introduce fresh air. The most effective horticultural lighting is from High Intensity Discharge (HID) systems, but you may choose to opt for the simplicity of a Compact Fluorescent Lamp (CFL) to get started. Once you have chosen your grow light, organise a ventilation system involving an extraction fan to remove stale air from the growing area, and preferably an intake fan to bring fresh air in. Once those two basics are sorted, you are ready to introduce plants to the grow room and get started with hydroponics!

What Kits Are Available for Beginners?

For newcomers to hydroponics growing, the techniques and equipment can seem a bit daunting. It can be hard to know what grow lights are the best for your growing space, and what ventilation equipment is best to ensure adequate climate control. To make matters easier, we have put together a number of Starter Kits where all the components are been specially selected to be ideal for specific sizes of grow tent. Grow tents are a popular and convenient choice for hydroponics growers as they provide an enclosed growing area in which the lighting cycles and environmental conditions can be precisely controlled. A typical hydroponics Starter Kit will provide all the essentials a novice will require to get started with hydroponics: a purpose-built grow tent; a suitable grow light system for the size of the grow tent including adjustable light hangers and timer/grow light controller; a filtered air extraction system to remove hot, stale air from the growing area. Once you have these essentials in place, you will be able to grow using soil mixes or perhaps experiment with hydroponics irrigation systems such as Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) or Deep Water Culture (DWC) as you gain more experience.

How Much Will I Need To Spend?

The cost of your hydroponics set-up is entirely a matter of what you want to achieve and your budget constraints. If you have a small area and want a simple grow light above your plants and you think your growing area had adequate air exchange without the use of a ventilation system, you can get started with a Compact Fluorescent Lamp, Reflector and Timer for a little over £50. If however you want to invest in a grow tent of, for example, 1 metre x 1 metre in size, with a High Intensity Discharge lighting system including light hangers and timer plus a system for filtered air extraction from the grow tent, then you are looking at in the region of £250. Add to that expense the costs of whatever growing medium and plant nutrients you may wish to use and the cost is more likely to be nearer £300 for a complete grow. For larger systems and more elaborate set-ups, the total cost can be several hundreds of pounds more. One tip we always give our customers is that taking financial short-cuts when setting up a hydroponics system tends to be a false economy as it is usually possible to make a considerable saving by buying all the essential components as a complete Starter Kit than purchasing them individually over a period of time.

Can Anyone Grow Using Hydroponics?

At 3CH our motto is ‘Hydroponics is for everyone.’ Many Hydroponics techniques are also transferable to outdoor gardening, and many outdoor gardeners, once they have caught the hydroponics bug, use hydroponics to ensure they can grow all year round and are not limited by the seasons or the inconsistent British climate. Many traditional gardeners cherry-pick hydroponics techniques to augment their established methods, such as using hydroponics propagation lights to give their crops a head-start in early spring. Hydroponics also provides scientifically researched plant nutrients and additives that provide precisely the chemical compounds, trace elements and vitamins the plants need as and when they need them as opposed to trusting to nature. In many ways, using hydroponics takes the chance factor out of growing and so improves on nature, which makes it the right choice for anyone who aspires to grow successful plants. The advantages of using hydroponics techniques include: • Year-round growing • Not dependant on the unpredictable British weather • Adaptability of conditions to suit needs of your plant • Elimination of soil-borne diseases • Greater choice of crops • Increased crop yields • Access to plants’ roots • Control of acidity levels • No more over-feeding or under-feeding • Self-watering systems • Low maintenance • Improved propagation results

Here at 3CH, our philosophy is simple: to provide the best hydroponics products for our customers at the best possible prices. This philosophy is simple but not so straightforward to achieve. Our experts are constantly searching for the best new products, and once they have tracked them down they test them to make sure they actually do what the manufacturers say they do. We probably reject far more products that we accept as we insist on only stocking the best products for our valued customers. Selling an over-priced product that has no benefit for your plants would do our reputation no good at all, and we pride ourselves on being superior to the snake oil salesmen masquerading as hydroponics companies of which there are far too many out there. When shopping at 3CH, you can be sure the product you are buying has been stringently tested as fit-for-purpose before it has been put on our shelves. The second part of the 3CH philosophy is easier to achieve, in that we bulk-buy from our suppliers to ensure the very best prices, and then pass on the savings made directly to our customers. With fifteen shops and an expanding international online operation, our buying power means that the opposition simply cannot compete with our prices. So, the secret of our success is out: 3CH equals the best products and the best prices. Amen to that.

Excellent Seller and Fast Delivery. Thankyou.Kev

As described, delivered on time, great starter kit....Thank youMichael

Quick delivery, well package, as described ,excellent ebay SellerTreeFella

Kohn Exceptionally fast postage goods as described Thanks very much A+++++Henry